page_title: 18th Engineer Brigade (United States)
section_title: Post Vietnam
hierarchical_section_title: 18th Engineer Brigade (United States) / History / Post Vietnam
caption_attribution_description: English: Scan of personal photo. Taken in N. Iraq in 1991 during Operation Provide Comfort. Lt. Col. John Abizaid (L) speaking with some Kurds.
context_page_description: The 18th Engineer Brigade is an engineer brigade of the United States Army. It is currently a subordinate unit of 21st Sustainment Command and is headquartered at Conn Barracks in Schweinfurt, Germany. Soldiers of the 18th Engineer Brigade provide various supportive duties to other Army units, including construction, engineering, and mechanical work on other Army projects.
  The brigade served in Europe during World War II, a fact which was included on its Distinctive Unit Insignia when the 20th Engineer Brigade received one on 10 February 1966. The four corners of the crenelated square allude to their four campaigns in World War II, Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland and Central Europe.
  The 18th Engineer Brigade later deployed to Vietnam, during the Vietnam War, where its battalions saw six years of combat service and supported fourteen campaigns, building infrastructure for both military and civilian projects. The brigade participated in a massive number of road construction projects and airfield constructions, supporting numerous infantry units and operating all over Vietnam. After serving in Vietnam, the brigade became attached to Seventh United States Army.
context_section_description: On 21 October 1977 the 18th Engineer Brigade was reactivated at Karlsruhe, Germany. For 15 years, the Brigade served as the principal construction brigade for the United States Army, Europe and 7th Army. During this period, the Brigade performed numerous construction, rehabilitation and renovation missions in military communities and training areas of the 7th Army. These included an extensive range upgrade of the Grafenwohr Major Training Area in the early 1980s and the construction of the Range 23 complex at the Wildflecken Major Training Area in 1989 and 1990. Additionally, the Brigade was responsible for providing topographic support to the European Theater.
  In 1990 and 1991, during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, the 18th Engineer Brigade provided rail and sea deployment support to the VII Corps and, in addition, deployed a Combat Heavy Battalion and Topographic Company to support VII Corps operations in Southwest Asia. In April 1991, the Brigade Headquarters, along with elements of the 94th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Heavy), deployed to Zakho, Iraq in support of Operation Provide Comfort. While there, the Brigade coordinated all engineer efforts of a Joint and Combined engineer force providing construction and relief support to the Kurdish refugees. The 18th Engineer Brigade was awarded the Joint Meritorious Unit Award for its action during Operation Provide Comfort. As part of the reduction of forces in Europe, the Brigade was inactivated on 15 October 1992.
caption: A soldier speaks to civilians during Operation Provide Comfort. The Brigade undertook missions similar to this one.
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